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Why does eggplant parmesan exist?

drinkmorejava

drinkmorejava

Diamond Member
It's clearly inferior to chicken parm.

Apparently the history is that meat was too expensive in Italy, so eggplant parm actually came first, but come on, why does anyone still make it.
 
Jaepheth said:
Because apparently vegetarianism is a thing.
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I'm not a vegan but I eat eggplant parm and other veg dishes. Some of these dishes are quite tasty and I actually prefer to meat dishes sometimes. Chicken is probably the most bland meat there is and I generally avoid it when dining out.
 
Because people enjoy it?

If we're going to ask those questions, then we can ask why do any variation on dishes exist?
 
JulesMaximus said:
I'm not a vegan but I eat eggplant parm and other veg dishes. Some of these dishes are quite tasty and I actually prefer to meat dishes sometimes. Chicken is probably the most bland meat there is and I generally avoid it when dining out.
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Thus why the chicken is dressed up.

And if prepared correctly, and, most importantly, cooked correctly, that chicken will be tender and very moist. Take that along with plenty of cheese, and a fair helping of tomato sauce and spaghetti noodles, and you've got a great amount of flavor. Only boring chicken is bland, season it up before throwing it in a dish, and cook it properly.

Chicken is great protein to put into just about any flavor of dish, it'll only complement and mostly be hidden by the other flavors. Win-win in my book.

The only thing that beats that when it comes to those ingredients, is my hamburger and sausage slow-cook spaghetti, with a dash of cabernet in for good measure. Mmmm, so delicious.
 
So people who want to experience the chicken parm recipe, but don't eat meat, can do so. How is this even a real question?
 
I have a slight allergy to eggplant that makes my throat itch when I eat it, which doesn't sadden me because I really can't stand the flavor at all. I mean drenching it in marinara and mozzarella is probably one of the few ways to make it edible, imo. That's one vegetable (fruit, maybe?) I just don't have any interest in. Like squash.
 
JulesMaximus said:
I'm not a vegan but I eat eggplant parm and other veg dishes. Some of these dishes are quite tasty and I actually prefer to meat dishes sometimes. Chicken is probably the most bland meat there is and I generally avoid it when dining out.
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A big part of the issue is industrial farming that grows cheap, tasteless meat.
 
drinkmorejava said:
It's clearly inferior to chicken parm.

Apparently the history is that meat was too expensive in Italy, so eggplant parm actually came first, but come on, why does anyone still make it.
Click to expand...

Have you ever been to Italy? Pork and chicken are abundant and in the old days, practically every family had at least one pig plus chickens around. Practically every kitchen back then had sausages, salame, capicolla etc... hanging from the ceiling hooks to cure. In the southern parts, seafood is huge.

The story where meat was so expensive actually has to do with beef. There are only a few regions in Italy where beef is part of the culinary tradition. Italy being a mountainous country simply lacks the flat space for a large and intensive beef industry. When immigrants came to the united states, they found abundant beef in the markets and thats where the expensive meat story began.

Re: eggplant it is very prolific producer, especially in a hot climate. I grew 12 eggplant plants and was swimming in them by the end of the season. They are a cheap source of protein and will keep producing right until the first frost. They take well to baking, frying, roasting, sauteing and even pickling.
 
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